Onesie Dress Tutorial

Some of you asked for it, so here we go: A Onesie Dress Tutorial. Non-sewers, this will bore you, so you can move on ahead to another favorite blog!

For other views of onesie dresses Look Here!

Look HERE to see a ruffled skirt onesie dress.

1. Choose a onesie for the dress and mark where you'd like the skirt to attach. Front and Back. (I tried to "eyeball" it once while I sewed, and got a lopsided skirt.)The onesie I'm using here is an older used one. It turns out to be not the best choice because some of the stretch had been washed out. Never mind though, it works for a tutorial demonstration. :)

2. Measure all the way around. Take this number and double it plus one inch. This will be the width you need to cut for a skirt.

3. Decide on a length for the skirt. Be sure to add in extra for the upper seam and the hem. Cut your fabric, sew it into a tube, embellish anyway you like, and then hem the skirt. I decided to use a piece of leftover fleece because I thought it would be warm, and I was curious to see how it would work as a skirt.

4. Gather the skirt top so that it is the same width as the onesie all the way around. Use pins to evenly mark front, back and sides of the skirt. Don't pin it on the onesie just yet...this photo is checking to see if I have it gathered enough.
5. Turn the skirt inside out and pin it upside down onto the skirt line you marked on the onesie. Right sides should be together. Pin to the sides and center front and back. Add more pins as needed, to keep the skirt on the line.

6. Now take the dress over to the sewing machine and slip it over the free arm. If you don't have a free arm on your machine, then pull the back of the skirt out of the way so you don't sew it to the front! Set your machine on a wide zig-zag stitch with a regular stitch length. Now carefully sew the zig-zag OVER the gathering stitch, trying not to sew onto those threads. (If you do, it's not that big of a problem.) Go all the way around the skirt, sewing it down onto the onesie with your zig zag stitch.
7. Next, remove the skirt from the machine and carefully clip that gathering stitch in a few places and pull it out. It shouldn't be too hard, unless you accidentally sewed on top of a thread. Once the gathering thread is out, the zig-zag stitch remains and it will STRETCH with the onesie fabric. Try it! You'll be able to get the dress on and off the child without a problem. I have read some instructions that insert an elastic for this part, but I've found that it isn't necessary. Doing it with a zig-zag saves a whole step!

8. Pull the skirt down over the onsie bottom and it is done! You can press the seam if you like, or just do a little "finger pressing" to set the skirt in place.

In making this little dress I learned two things. One, a stretched-out onesie isn't the best choice. Two, fleece might not be the best choice for a skirt. When made with lighter weight fabrics onto new onesies, these dresses look just darling. They are also great because the skirt stays put and doesn't ride up under the arms! This is a very basic demonstration, but I've seen them done with very cute embellished skirts. Try it and see what you think. (And then share it so we can all see!)